Generative Design: What it is? How is it being used? Why it’s a game changer

This paper represents a snapshot of generative design technology looking at what it is, how it works, how it’s being used and why it’s changing the way we design the next generation of things.Predominantly companies investing in this technology are looking for ways to help reduce component mass, improve the performance of their designs, minimize manufacturing process time and help them create new products that are suited to the next generation of customer who’s concerned more than ever with customization and uniqueness.Through the course of this paper we’ll look at a number of key technologies being developed in this field, with a particular focus on the optimised lattice and organic algorithmic structures both of which use Autodesk technology.An example, the Airbus Group, is used to illustrate innovative ways that manufacturers are applying these technologies to maintain product strength whilst reducing weight, improving performance and, ultimately, helping them to stay one step ahead of their competitors in industries that are rapidly developing and innovating

IOT, Industry 4.0, Industrial IOT… Why connected devices are the future of design

This paper looks at Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology looking at what it is, how it works, how it’s being used and why it’s changing the way we design the next generation of products.Predominantly companies investing in this technology are looking for ways to help improve the performance of their designs, leverage big data to help them make better decisions, provide more functionality to the end user and leverage services to create additional revenue streams.Through the course of this paper we’ll look at a number of key technologies being developed in this field, with a particular focus on the web connected technology.An example, Premier Deicers, is used to illustrate innovative ways that manufacturers are applying these technologies to improve service performance, minimize downtime, provide their customers with unique insight and generate more revenue. Through the use of IIoT they’ve been able to provide unique services and win new customers, something many manufacturers are trying to do in otherwise challenging conditions

COVID Smell Tracker: A research-based mobile application to study smell loss in subjects with COVID-19

Introduction: Up to 60% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 report anosmia or ageusia during their disease course. “COVID Smell Tracker” is a smart phone application (app) developed to elucidate the onset, duration and extent of anosmia and ageusia through questionnaires. Methods: “COVID Smell Tracker” is publicly available on smart phone devices (www.covidsmelltracker.org). Users complete surveys around demographics, medical history, COVID status and symptomology. Deidentified responses were collated and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 266 users included, the majority were located in Europe (43%) and North America (33%). Male, Caucasian users were most common (54.9% and 61.7% respectively), followed by Indian (10.5%) and Latino (9.4%). The majority of users reported no COVID testing (63%). 164 users reported COVID-related symptoms, and 57% of them reported olfactory dysfunction. Users who were younger age (p = 0.0003) and with type A and B blood types (p = 0.021) experienced smell loss at higher frequencies. Dysgeusia was associated with 28-34% of patients with concomitant smell loss, versus 6%-9% in users without. Smell loss was described as “sudden” (63%), occurring on average 3 days following the onset of any other symptom. Of those that reported resolution of their smell loss, 50% resolved in 1 week, with 75% resolution reported within 1 month. Conclusions: The results herein correlate with other established COVID-related studies, despite relying on purely volunteered data from participants from around the world. This is the first study to suggest an association of age and blood type with smell loss. Mobile app use offers a novel method for safe, remote and granular insight into those suffering from infectious diseases like COVID-19

A diverse Pleistocene marsupial trackway assemblage from the Victorian Volcanic Plains, Australia

A diverse assemblage of late Pleistocene marsupial trackways on a lake bed in south-western Victoria provides the first information relating to the gaits and morphology of several megafaunal species, and represents the most speciose and best preserved megafaunal footprint site in Australia. The 60-110 ka volcaniclastic lacustrine sedimentary rocks preserve trackways of the diprotodontid Diprotodon optatum, a macropodid (probably Protemnodon sp.) and a large vombatid (perhaps Ramsayia magna or '. Phascolomys' medius) and possible prints of the marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex. The footprints were imprinted within a short time period, demonstrating the association of the taxa present, rather than the time-averaged accumulations usually observed in skeletal fossil deposits. Individual manus and pes prints are distinguishable in some trackways, and in many cases some digital pad morphology is also present. Several parameters traditionally used to differentiate ichnotaxa, including trackway gauge and the degree of print in-turning relative to the midline, are shown to be subject to significant intraspecific variation in marsupials. Sexual dimorphism in the trackway proportions of Diprotodon, and its potential for occurrence in all large bodied, quadrupedal marsupials, is identified here for the first time

Evaluating the Safety Effects of Bicycle Lanes in New York City

Objectives. We evaluated the effects of on-street bicycle lanes installed prior to 2007 on different categories of crashes (total crashes, bicyclist crashes, pedestrian crashes, multiple-vehicle crashes, and injurious or fatal crashes) occurring on roadway segments and at intersections in New York City

Variation of organic matter quantity and quality in streams at Critical Zone Observatory watersheds

The quantity and chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters influence ecosystem processes and anthropogenic use of freshwater. However, despite the importance of understanding spatial and temporal patterns in DOM, measures of DOM quality are not routinely included as part of large-scale ecosystem monitoring programs and variations in analytical procedures can introduce artifacts. In this study, we used consistent sampling and analytical methods to meet the objective of defining variability in DOM quantity and quality and other measures of water quality in streamflow issuing from small forested watersheds located within five Critical Zone Observatory sites representing contrasting environmental conditions. Results show distinct separations among sites as a function of water quality constituents. Relationships among rates of atmospheric deposition, water quality conditions, and stream DOM quantity and quality are consistent with the notion that areas with relatively high rates of atmospheric nitrogen and sulfur deposition and high concentrations of divalent cations result in selective transport of DOM derived from microbial sources, including in-stream microbial phototrophs. We suggest that the critical zone as a whole strongly influences the origin, composition, and fate of DOM in streams. This study highlights the value of consistent DOM characterization methods included as part of long-term monitoring programs for improving our understanding of interactions among ecosystem processes as controls on DOM biogeochemistry

Molecular characterization of dissolved organic matter associated with the Greenland ice sheet

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 74 (2010): 3768-3784, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2010.03.035.Subsurface microbial oxidation of overridden soils and vegetation beneath glaciers and ice sheets may affect global carbon budgets on glacial-interglacial timescales. The likelihood and magnitude of this process depends on the chemical nature and reactivity of the subglacial organic carbon stores. We examined the composition of carbon pools associated with different regions of the Greenland ice sheet (subglacial, supraglacial, proglacial) in order to elucidate the type of dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in the subglacial discharge over a melt season. Electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry coupled to multivariate statistics permitted unprecedented molecular level characterization of this material and revealed that carbon pools associated with discrete glacial regions are comprised of different compound classes. Specifically, a larger proportion of protein-like compounds were observed in the supraglacial samples and in the early melt season (spring) subglacial discharge. In contrast, the late melt season (summer) subglacial discharge contained a greater fraction of lignin-like and other material presumably derived from underlying vegetation and soil. These results suggest (1) that the majority of supraglacial DOM originates from autochthonous microbial processes on the ice sheet surface, (2) that the subglacial DOM contains allochthonous carbon derived from overridden soils and vegetation as well as autochthonous carbon derived from in situ microbial metabolism, and (3) that the relative contribution of allochthonous and autochthonous material in subglacial discharge varies during the melt season. These conclusions are consistent with the hypothesis that, given sufficient time (e.g., overwinter storage), resident subglacial microbial communities may oxidize terrestrial material beneath the Greenland ice sheet.This research was supported by: the National Science Foundation (CAREER-OCE- 0529101 (EBK), ARC-0520077 (SBD)), National Atmospheric and Space Administration (SBD), the WHOI Clark Arctic Research Initiative (EBK, SBD, MAC), the WHOI Ocean Ventures Fund (MPB), and the National and Science Engineering Research Council of Canada (MPB)

DUSP5-mediated inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation suppresses pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with structural remodeling of pulmonary arteries (PAs) because of excessive proliferation of fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). The peptide hormone angiotensin II (ANG II) contributes to pulmonary vascular remodeling, in part, through its ability to trigger extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activation. Here, we demonstrate that the ERK1/2 phosphatase, dual-specificity phosphatase 5 (DUSP5), functions as a negative regulator of ANG II-mediated SMC proliferation and PH. In contrast to wild-type controls, Dusp5 null mice infused with ANG II developed PH and right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy. PH in Dusp5 null mice was associated with thickening of the medial layer of small PAs, suggesting an in vivo role for DUSP5 as a negative regulator of ANG II-dependent SMC proliferation. Consistent with this, overexpression of DUSP5 blocked ANG II-mediated proliferation of cultured human pulmonary artery SMCs (hPASMCs) derived from patients with idiopathic PH or from failed donor controls. Collectively, the data support a role for DUSP5 as a feedback inhibitor of ANG II-mediated ERK signaling and PASMC proliferation and suggest that disruption of this circuit leads to adverse cardiopulmonary remodeling. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) serve critical roles in the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, but their functions in the cardiovascular system remain poorly defined. Here, we provide evidence that DUSP5, which resides in the nucleus and specifically dephosphorylates extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), blocks pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. In response to angiotensin II infusion, mice lacking DUSP5 develop pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular cardiac hypertrophy. These findings illustrate DUSP5-mediated suppression of ERK signaling in the lungs as a protective mechanism

Resequencing of genes for transforming growth factor β1 (TGFB1) type 1 and 2 receptors (TGFBR1, TGFBR2), and association analysis of variants with diabetic nephropathy

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end stage renal failure in the western world. There is substantial epidemiological evidence supporting a genetic predisposition to diabetic nephropathy, however the exact molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Transforming growth factor (TGFβ1) is a crucial mediator in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: We investigated the role of five known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TGFB1 gene for their association with diabetic nephropathy in an Irish, type 1 diabetic case (n = 272) control (n = 367) collection. The activity of TGFβ1 is facilitated by the action of type 1 and type 2 receptors, with both receptor genes (TGFBR1 and TGFBR2) shown to be upregulated in diabetic kidney disease. We therefore screened TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 genes for genomic variants using WAVE™ (dHPLC) technology and confirmed variants by direct capillary sequencing. Allele frequencies were determined in forty-eight healthy individuals. Data for all SNPs was assessed for Hardy Weinberg equilibrium, with genotypes and allele frequencies compared using the χ(2 )test for contingency tables. Patterns of linkage disequilibrium were established and common haplotypes estimated. RESULTS: Fifteen variants were identified in these genes, seven of which are novel, and putatively functional SNPs were subsequently genotyped using TaqMan™, Invader™ or Pyrosequencing(® )technology. No significant differences (p > 0.1) were found in genotype or allele distributions between cases and controls for any of the SNPs assessed. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest common variants in TGFB1, TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 genes do not strongly influence genetic susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy in an Irish Caucasian population